This Hot LA Restaurant Is Now Doing Indian-Italian Pan Pizzas

Buzzy Silver Lake Indian sports bar Pijja Palace — already known for its Indian-Italian pizza and pasta combos — will launch delivery and takeout via Caviar and Toast on August 19. Along with the launch comes a brand-new style of thicker square pizza that can only be ordered via takeout and delivery.

Chef Avish Naran describes the new pan pie as a “thicc boi”: more dense than a traditional Sicilian, with those desirable burnt edges and enough heft to pile on some toppings. The new pizzas will be available in a build-your-own format, with a choice of sauce (northern makhini, peri peri vindaloo, or white korma) and toppings ranging from tandoori onions to stinger chiles and spicy pepperoni.

Also available on the delivery menu are housemade chocolate chip cookies, Indian beers, Indian soft drinks like Limca and Thums Up, and bottles of natural wine from Lo-Fi, Lúuma, and more. Check out the entire menu, below.

Momofuku Noodle Bar comes to town

David Chang’s iconic Momofuku Noodle Bar is coming to Majordomo in far Chinatown on October 18 and 19, as part of a five-city tour sponsored by Resy and American Express Gold. Expect a four-course meal cooked in collaboration with executive chef Jude Parra-Sickels, who worked at Noodle Bar years ago, featuring classic dishes like pork buns and mushroom ramen. Reservations ($75 per person) are available on Resy.

A critical conversation

Los Angeles Review of Books writer Jacquelyn Ardam recently sat down with former Los Angeles Times restaurant reviewer Patricia Escárcega, the paper’s first critic of color. Escárcega, who left the organization after a public dispute over pay discrepancy, tells Ardam of her time at the LAT: “What wasn’t being covered were the places where my family ate. Nobody wrote about those restaurants...and I wanted to write about those more quotidian restaurants, and what they can mean to a family and a community.” Read the profile.

A night of kabobs and wine

Virgil Village wine bar Voodoo Vin will host chef Armen Martirosyan of Glendale’s beloved Mini Kabob for one night only on Monday, August 22. Martirosyan be grilling traditional Armenian BBQ over charcoal and grape vines, while Voodoo Vin founders Michael and Natalie Hekmat pour Armenian and Georgian wines from their cave. The smoky fun starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.

A GoFundMe for Detroit Vesey’s

Detroit Vesey’s, a multipurpose all-day restaurant in the Arts District, has launched a GoFundMe to help founder Erin Detroit Vesey find a new location for the queer-, sober-, and cyclist-friendly spot, currently located at 2028 E. 7th Street.

The GoFundMe page says that despite a lot of positive press and community support, “never-ending delays from the city drained us of tens of thousands of dollars that we were going to put towards getting our liquor license which would help our bottom line greatly, so we can stay open.” The funds raised will go toward moving to a new, likely smaller and less expensive location with the license it needs.

David Arenas